======== The Scout Report == ======== February 2, 2001 ==== ======== Volume 7, Number 32 ====== ====== Internet Scout Project ======== ==== University of Wisconsin ======== == Department of Computer Sciences ======== == I N T H E S C O U T R E P O R T T H I S W E E K ======== ====== New From Internet Scout ==== 1. Open Letter to Our Readers ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 2. _Scout Report for Science & Engineering_ ====== Research and Education ==== 3. Two New Online Catalogs from the British Library 4. Facility for the Analysis of Chemical Thermodynamics, F*A*C*T-Web 5. Statistical Accounts of Scotland 6. Refugee Caselaw Site 7. Tibet Information Network (TIN) 8. QueerTheory.com 9. EverythingESL.net 10. "Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics" ====== General Interest ==== 11. Online Classics 12. LSU Digital Library -- Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Louisiana State Museum Photographs 13. "A Report Card on the Department of Energy's Non-Proliferation Programs with Russia" -- CEIP 14. European Commission Online Press Room 15. _The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz_ -- xrefer 16. WorldWideWeb Tax 17. Families and Students Living in a College Town ====== Network Tools ==== 18. Axie 19. Aboriginal Connections ====== In The News ==== 21. One Convicted for Lockerbie Bombing Copyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of the Internet Scout Project, please visit our Website: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ If you'd like to know how the Internet Scout team selects resources for inclusion in the Scout Report, visit our Selection Criteria page at: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/about/criteria.html The Scout Report on the Web: Current issue: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/ This issue: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/2001/scout-010202.html Visit the Internet Scout Weblog at: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/weblog/ Feedback is always welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====== New From Internet Scout ==== 1. Open Letter to Our Readers http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/about/letter-010202.html Dear Readers: Here at the Internet Scout Project, we have been working on securing a new source (or sources) of funding for the Scout Reports. We are soliciting your ideas in an Open Letter to Readers that has been sent to the subscriber mailing lists and is available on our Website. Please read the letter at the address above and send us your ideas. ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 2. _Scout Report for Science & Engineering_ http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/2001/se-010131.html Volume 4, Number 11 of the _Scout Report for Science & Engineering_ is available. The In the News section annotates ten resources on the recent Harvard light-halting experiment, other light-speed experiments, and the possible application of this breakthrough to black hole studies. [MD] ====== Research and Education ==== 3. Two New Online Catalogs from the British Library British Library Public Catalogue http://blpc.bl.uk/ National Sound Archive Catalogue (Cadensa) http://cadensa.bl.uk/ The British Library has announced the release of two new major online resources. The new Public Catalogue supercedes the OPAC97 service (reviewed in the May 23, 1997 _Scout Report_) and will be available 24 hours/ 7 days a week. The new catalog indexes "over 10 million books, journals, reports, conferences and music scores covering every aspect of human thought since 1450" and features improved search options. Visitors can order copies of articles and conference papers direct from the library's Document Supply Centre, while members of registered organizations may also request material on loan through the site. The second new resource is a searchable online catalog of almost 2.5 million sound recordings held by the British Library National Sound Archive (NSA), from pop music to Miss Piggy to tree frogs to oral histories. At present, users cannot listen to or download these recordings, but the site does offer information on accessing them at the NSA and placing orders for copies. The catalog is searchable by keyword, name, title, subject, place, or through an advanced search. The full details for each entry vary by recording type; most have notes on the contents and the quality of the recording or the copy when appropriate. [MD] 4. Facility for the Analysis of Chemical Thermodynamics, F*A*C*T-Web http://www.crct.polymtl.ca/fact/fact.htm Housed at the Centre for Research in Computational Chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, F*A*C*T is "a fully integrated thermochemical database which couples proven software with self-consistent critically assessed thermodynamic data. F*A*C*T is now employed in many diverse fields of chemical thermodynamics by pyrometallurgists, hydrometallurgists, chemical engineers, corrosion engineers, inorganic chemists, geochemists, ceramists, electrochemists, environmentalists, and so on." The highlight of F*A*C*T-Web is its free, easily searchable databases that include Compound-Web, Reaction-Web, Equilib-Web, and Aqualib-Web. With Compound-Web, users enter up to four elements or one compound and the program gives compounds of the elements or phases of the compound. With Reaction-Web, users enter units, temperature limits, phase, and number of steps and the program calculates changes in extensive thermochemical functions (H, G, V, S, Cp, A) for a species, a group of species, or for a chemical reaction. With Equilib-Web, users enter temperature, mass and pressure, and up to three reactants and five different elements and the program will list the most stable products of that combination. With Aqualib-Web, users enter up to three reactants, including water, with up to five different elements and the program will calculate the chemical equilibrium. All four databases have instructions. Besides these handy databases, F*A*C*T-Web also includes neatly categorized links to sites in inorganic chemical thermodynamics. A section on the FACT-Win database (for purchase), solution database, and links to news and announcements from F*A*C*T round out the site. This is a superb resource for chemists. [HCS] 5. Statistical Accounts of Scotland http://edina.ac.uk/StatAcc/ Provided by the Edinburgh Data and Information Access (EDINA) on behalf of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries, this new site is an excellent resource for anyone researching Scotland, Britain, or the social impact of the industrial revolution. The site hosts the two Statistical Accounts of Scotland, which cover 1791-99 and 1834-1845. The information contained in the Accounts was largely provided by each parish church minister and covers topics such as "wealth, class and poverty; climate, agriculture, fishing and wildlife; population, schools, and the moral health of the people." Visitors can browse the Accounts via a table of contents, a general index, or by county or parish lists, or conduct a keyword search. The site provides digitized copies of the original texts which, unlike many similar projects, are easy to read and navigate. Further information about the Accounts and the project is available from the main page. [MD] 6. Refugee Caselaw Site [.pdf] http://www.refugeecaselaw.org/Refugee/index.htm Provided and maintained by the University of Michigan Law School, this site aims to promote "transnational analysis of refugee law by advocates, decision-makers, and policymakers committed to the effective implementation of international standards." To this end, it provides a database of approximately 400 recent cases from highest national courts of Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Users may search the database by jurisdiction, title, court, date, country, Hathaway number, and by keyword. Initial returns include date decided, court, jurisdiction, country of origin, Hathaway number(s), a one-sentence description, and a link to the full text of the decision in .pdf format. A fast, well-organized, and very useful site for anyone interested in refugee law. [MD] 7. Tibet Information Network (TIN) http://www.tibetinfo.net/ Based in London, the Tibet Information Network (TIN) has served as an independent news and research agency monitoring and reporting on the political, social, economic, environmental, and human rights situation in Tibet for the past twelve years. The site offers reports, news updates, photos, and other related publications organized by topic. These include culture, women, environment, education, prisoners and protest, and tourism, among others. The currency of the content in each section varies widely. News updates are also available in Tibetan and Chinese (no special software needed). Other offerings include a Tibet File, which contains images, travel information, a chronology, population statistics, a glossary, a bibliography, and a list of counties and prefectures. Users may also subscribe to a free email news update service. [MD] 8. QueerTheory.com http://www.queertheory.com/ Designed and maintained by Danne Polk in association with Erratic Impact's Philosophy Research Base, this metasite guides users to quality online and print resources in the fields of LGBT studies, gender studies, and queer theory. Resources are indexed in several ways: by topic, names, subjects, authors, and schools. Other offerings include links to the latest news on LGBT issues and purchase information for related books. [MD] 9. EverythingESL.net [.pdf] http://www.everythingesl.net/ Created by award-winning English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher Judie Haynes and Web designer Chas Haynes, this attractive site is a nice resource for any teacher with second language students. The site offers teaching tips with classroom activities and a select annotated list of books, CD-ROMS, and Websites. EverythingESL.net also hosts two message boards, one for general discussion and the other for questions posted directly to Judie Haynes, both available from the Discussion button at the top of the page. An internal search engine rounds out the site. [MD] 10. "Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics" [.pdf] http://www4.nas.edu/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/proficiency Released on January 23, this report from the National Research Council finds that too few American children "are leaving elementary and middle school with adequate math skills and understanding." The report strongly recommends major reforms in math instruction, curricula, and assessment from pre-kindergarten through grade 8. The full text of the 444-page report may be read by chapter in .pdf format at the National Academy Press site. [MD] ====== General Interest ==== 11. Online Classics [Windows Media Player] http://www.onlineclassics.com/ Here's a nice counterpart to the huge mass of pop music videos offered online -- streaming live and archived videos of the performing arts. At the site, visitors will find over 150 hours of video-on-demand of opera, theatre, concerts, plays, dance, and musicals, and new and live broadcasts are added each week. The video selections are organized by performance type (opera, other vocal, orchestral, plays, dance), and most are offered in multiple connection speeds, though only those with broadband connections are likely to get the most out of the site. Even with a fast connection playback was less than optimal on most of the selections we viewed. The site states that "at the moment" all content is free. If this remains the case and if the site can improve playback quality, it has the potential to become a major resource for teachers and students as well as fans of the performing arts. [MD] 12. LSU Digital Library -- Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Louisiana State Museum Photographs http://www.lsu.edu/diglib/ Lousiana State University's Digital Library, in partnership with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Louisiana State Museum, makes two image databases available: The Preservation of Louisiana's Treasures Program, about 200 images of Southern fine art, primarily 20th-century paintings and photographs from the Roger Houston Ogden collection; and the Rowles Stereograph Collection, 386 stereographs, "vintage albumen prints of New Orleans and Louisiana . . . from mid 1860s to the early 20th century." There are some surprisingly modern images in the stereograph collection, such as a 1978 Karem Abdul Jabbar slam dunk, and a 1930 stereograph portrait of Huey Long. The search interface for both databases is the same, allowing keyword searches or browsing by titles, creators, or subjects. In the browse mode, images are presented as pages of five thumbnails. This simple arrangement is missing some navigational tools; when browsing, there is no way to get back to the beginning without hitting the back button repeatedly; after search results are displayed, it is difficult to do a new search without going all the way back to the LSU Digital Library homepage. [DS] 13. "A Report Card on the Department of Energy's Non-Proliferation Programs with Russia" -- CEIP [.pdf] http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/npp/pdf/DOERussiaTaskForceReport011001.pdf Appendices [.pdf] http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/npp/pdf/doetaskforceappendices.pdf Issued on January 10, this bipartisan study from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) concludes that the "most urgent unmet national security threat" to the US today is weak protection of nuclear weapons and materials. The authors propose that the new administration develop a plan to address this problem and increase the budgets of related programs. Readers can download the full text and Appendices of the 49-page report, which reviews "Department of Energy programs on nuclear material protection, control and accounting; the disposal of excess plutonium and highly enriched uranium; programs to address the 'brain drain' of former Soviet weapons scientists (Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention and the Nuclear Cities Initiative); and nuclear safety." [MD] 14. European Commission Online Press Room [.pdf] http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index.htm Available in both English and French, the European Commission's (EC) new online press room is an excellent resource for any users interested in the latest news and press releases from the EC and the European Union. At the site, visitors will find links to the latest headlines and releases (many available in multiple languages), a weekly archive, a searchable database of press releases since 1985, and links to video news, photos, and other resources. Registered users may also sign up to receive free electronic press releases on designated areas of interest. [MD] 15. _The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz_ -- xrefer http://www.xrefer.com/books/grojazz/about.jsp xrefer.com http://www.xrefer.com/ Since it was originally reviewed in the June 2, 2000 _Scout Report_, reference engine xrefer has expanded to include fifty texts. The most recent addition is the _The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz_, self-described as "the largest, most comprehensive and most accurate reference work on jazz ever published." The dictionary contains over 4,500 articles on a wide variety of jazz-related topics, including detailed biographies, jazz groups, musical instruments, terms and styles, record companies and labels, and more. The dictionary also offers 1,800 discographies and numerous reading lists. Visitors can not search the _New Grove Dictionary_ exclusively, but they can limit their search to the music reference works, which also include the _Oxford Dictionary of Music_, _Penguin Dictionary of Music_, and the _Grove Concise Dictionary of Music_. [MD] 16. WorldWideWeb Tax [.pdf] http://www.wwwebtax.com/ Relaunched on December 1 for the new tax season, this site aims to serve as the most comprehensive online source for a broad range of tax information. While the site does offer a for-fee e-file service, it also features a wealth of free information, including IRS forms, IRS instructions, IRS publications, IRS tables, IRS rate schedules, IRS charts, and IRS worksheets. Also included are FAQs, tips and strategies, state tax information, and a glossary of tax terms. This site certainly won't make filing your tax returns fun, but it could make it easier. [MD] 17. Families and Students Living in a College Town http://www.users.muohio.edu/karrowrs/College/index.html Created and maintained by Bob Karrow of Miami University (Ohio), this site brings together a number of resources on a very interesting topic: community relations and town planning in neighborhoods adjacent to college and university campuses. As Karrow notes, many older neighborhoods in college towns find it difficult to "achieve the type of balanced diversity that creates an optimal environment for all residents." This site features news articles, zoning rules, reports, and other resources that illustrate how some communities have addressed the issue. These are organized by topic, such as College Town Plans, Student Housing, Quality of Life, Campus Expansion, Economics of Student Rentals, and Court Cases, among others. The site also sponsors a discussion list, CTPlan, for issues related to college towns. [MD] ====== Network Tools ==== 18. Axie http://axie.com/ Axie is a neat tool for tracking additions to the Open Directory Project (ODP) (reviewed in the November 20, 1998 _Scout Report_). After free registration, users can register searches they want Axie to monitor. Each week, Axie will email notifications (HTML or plain text) of newly added sites in the specified categories. While weekly additions to the ODP are not necessarily new sites, Axie offers users the opportunity to monitor only those additions that interest them. [MD] 19. Aboriginal Connections http://www.aboriginalconnections.com/ Created and maintained by Rob Wesley, this Web directory indexes sites related to Canadian aboriginal, Native American, and international indigenous peoples and cultures. The annotated links (currently over 1,900) are organized by topic, including First Nations, Education, Government, History, and Organizations, among others. What's new, a top 100 listing, and an internal search engine are also provided. Visitors are welcome to submit additional sites for inclusion. [MD] ====== In The News ==== 21. One Convicted for Lockerbie Bombing Lockerbie Verdict [.pdf, Word] http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/html/lockerbie.htm Lockerbie Trial Briefing Site http://www.law.gla.ac.uk/lockerbie/ The Lockerbie Verdict -- BBC [RealPlayer] http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/scotland/2000/lockerbie_trial/ "News Analysis: Courts Are a Limited Anti-Terror Weapon" -- _New York Times_ [RealPlayer] http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/01/world/01ASSE.html Lockerbie Bombing Trial - CNN http://www.cnn.com/LAW/trials.and.cases/case.files/0010/lockerbie/index.html Arabic News http://www.arabicnews.com Middle East News Online http://www.middleeastwire.com/ ArabNet http://www.arab.net/ On Wednesday a special Scottish court convened in the Netherlands convicted Abdel Basset al-Megrahi for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988 over Lockerbie, Scotland and sentenced him to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after twenty years. Megrahi's co-defendant, Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, was found not guilty and has since returned to Libya. Both men are or were allegedly members of Libya's intelligence service, and some, especially among family members of the victims, have expressed the belief that responsibility for the act ultimately rests with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi has decalred that Libya would never accept responsibility for the bombing and demanded compensation for the 1986 US bombing raid on Libya. The United Nations suspended sanctions against Libya after it surrendered the two suspects, and Gaddafi has demanded that they should now be removed entirely. The United States has indicated that it will push for keeping the sanctions at least until the relatives of the victims have been compensated, makingit unlikely that the sanctions will be removed any time in the near future. A lawyer for the American families has also announced that they will sue Libya for $10 billion in damages. Readers can begin with the full text of the verdict itself, available from the official Scottish Courts Website. In-depth analysis, background information, a dramatis personae, a FAQ/Glossary, and multiple other resources are available at the Lockerbie Trial Briefing Site, maintained by the University of Glasgow School of Law. The BBC's special on the verdict includes the latest news, a great deal of analysis and background, photos, audio and video selections, a timeline, and related links. The _New York Times_ report (free registration required) contains links to previous articles, an interactive feature, and some video clips. CNN's site on the trial offers new and archived stories, background, images, and a number of other resources. Additional coverage can be found at Arabic News, Middle East News Online, and ArabNet. [MD] ====== ====== == Index for February 2, 2001 == ====== ====== 1. Open Letter to Our Readers http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/about/letter-010202.html 2. _Scout Report for Science & Engineering_ http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/2001/se-010131.html 3. Two New Online Catalogs from the British Library British Library Public Catalogue http://blpc.bl.uk/ National Sound Archive Catalogue (Cadensa) http://cadensa.bl.uk/ 4. Facility for the Analysis of Chemical Thermodynamics, F*A*C*T-Web http://www.crct.polymtl.ca/fact/fact.htm 5. Statistical Accounts of Scotland http://edina.ac.uk/StatAcc/ 6. Refugee Caselaw Site [.pdf] http://www.refugeecaselaw.org/Refugee/index.htm 7. Tibet Information Network (TIN) http://www.tibetinfo.net/ 8. QueerTheory.com http://www.queertheory.com/ 9. EverythingESL.net [.pdf] http://www.everythingesl.net/ 10. "Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics" [.pdf] http://www4.nas.edu/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/proficiency 11. Online Classics [Windows Media Player] http://www.onlineclassics.com/ 12. LSU Digital Library -- Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Louisiana State Museum Photographs http://www.lsu.edu/diglib/ 13. "A Report Card on the Department of Energy's Non-Proliferation Programs with Russia" -- CEIP [.pdf] http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/npp/pdf/DOERussiaTaskForceReport011001.pdf Appendices [.pdf] http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/npp/pdf/doetaskforceappendices.pdf 14. European Commission Online Press Room [.pdf] http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index.htm 15. _The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz_ -- xrefer http://www.xrefer.com/books/grojazz/about.jsp xrefer.com http://www.xrefer.com/ 16. WorldWideWeb Tax [.pdf] http://www.wwwebtax.com/ 17. Families and Students Living in a College Town http://www.users.muohio.edu/karrowrs/College/index.html 18. Axie http://axie.com/ 19. Aboriginal Connections http://www.aboriginalconnections.com/ 20. 21. One Convicted for Lockerbie Bombing Lockerbie Verdict [.pdf, Word] http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/html/lockerbie.htm Lockerbie Trial Briefing Site http://www.law.gla.ac.uk/lockerbie/ The Lockerbie Verdict -- BBC [RealPlayer] http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/scotland/2000/lockerbie_trial/ "News Analysis: Courts Are a Limited Anti-Terror Weapon" -- _New York Times_ [RealPlayer] http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/01/world/01ASSE.html Lockerbie Bombing Trial - CNN http://www.cnn.com/LAW/trials.and.cases/case.files/0010/lockerbie/index.html Arabic News http://www.arabicnews.com Middle East News Online http://www.middleeastwire.com/ ArabNet http://www.arab.net/ ====== ==== == Subscription and Contact Information == ==== ====== To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report each week, join the SCOUT-REPORT mailing list. This is the only mail you will receive from this list. To subscribe Scout Report, go to: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/misc/lists/ Or send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: subscribe SCOUT-REPORT To unsubscribe, send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: unsubscribe SCOUT-REPORT For subscription options, send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: query SCOUT-REPORT ====== The Scout Report ====== Brought to You by the Internet Scout Project ==== == The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published every Friday of the year except the last Friday of December by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences. Executive Director Susan Calcari [SC] Director Rachael Bower [REB] Managing Editor Travis Koplow [TK] Editor Michael de Nie [MD] Contributors David Charbonneau [DC] Aimee D. Glassel [AG] Emily Missner [EM] Laura X. Payne [LXP] Debra Shapiro [DS] Scott Watkins [SW] Ed Almasy [EA] Hilary C. Sanders [HCS] Andy Yaco-Mink [AY] Manoj Ananthapadmanabhan [MA] Technical Specialist Pat Coulthard [PC] Internet Scout team member information: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/about/team.html Below are the copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from The Scout Report. The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format: Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2001. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation. == ==== ======
